Shady Ladies List: September 2018
Looking for a great read AND want to support emerging women authors? You've come to the right place.
Each month the Shady Ladies List highlights debut and sophomore books being published by women writers so you never miss out on discovering your new favorite author!
This month women take us inside nuclear talks with North Korea, the founding of Liberia and even into our own anger. These titles are organized alphabetically by publication date.
A very happy publication day to them all!
📚 Received a review copy | 💖 Can't wait to read it
ESSAYS 📚💖
GIRLS BURN BRIGHTER by Shobha Rao
March 6, 2018 | Flatiron Books
I’ve had this book sitting in my #TBR pile for several months and haven’t quite picked it up even though I’m excited about it. Why? Shady Lady Katy read it during a beach vacation and came back and said it was dark. Beautifully written, but there’s nowhere really uplifting to go when you’re dealing with poverty and human trafficking. I’m waiting for the right state of mind to pick up this must-read.
FEMINASTY
By Erin Gibson
Grand Central Publishing | Sept. 4, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
"Gibson uses her very presence as an act of defiance-she's a loud Southern lady with size-11 feet who grew up poor white trash-and readers will be grateful that she can't keep her mouth shut." ―Booklist
NOVEL
PONTI
By Sharlene Teo
Simon & Schuster | Sept. 4, 2018
Read the back story of this book.
Her characters glow with life and humour and minutely observed desperation. I read this extract longing for more.” –Ian McEwan
NOVEL 💖
SHE WOULD BE KING
by Wayétu Moore
Graywolf Press | Sept. 11, 2018
Listen to an interview with the author.
”Wayétu Moore blends historical fiction with magical realism in an exhilarating tale of the formation of Liberia.” — Marie Claire
NONFICTON 💖
THE DINOSAUR ARTIST
by Paige Williams
Hachette Books | Sept. 11, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
”Paige Williams is that rare reporter who burrows into a subject until all of its dimensions, all of its darkened corners and secret chambers, are illuminated.” — David Grann, author, Flowers of the Killer Moon
NONFICTON 💖
HELLO WORLD
by Hannah Fry
W. W. Norton & Company | Sept. 18, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
“A well-constructed tour of technology and its discontents―timely, too, given the increasing prominence of AI in our daily lives.”
- Kirkus Reviews
NONFICTON 📚💖
POACHED
by Rachel Love Nuwer
Da Capo Press | Sept. 25, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
MEMOIR 📚💖
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
By Wendy R. Sherman
Public Affairs | Sept. 4, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
”This tale of courage and persistence will inspire readers of all backgrounds, while giving them unparalleled insights into some of the most critical issues of our time." ―Madeleine K. Albright
NONFICTION
THE PERSON YOU MEAN TO BE
By Dolly Chugh
Harper Business | Sept. 4, 2018
Listen to an audio excerpt.
”The most important and actionable book on reducing bias that I have read.” — David Thomas, president of Morehouse College
ESSAYS 💖📚
RAGE BECOMES HER
by Soraya Chemaly
Atria Books | Sept. 11, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
Intelligent and keenly observed, this is a bracingly liberating call for the right of women to own their anger.” —Kirkus (starred)
NONFICTON
THE REAL LOLITA
by Sarah Weinman
Ecco | Sept. 11, 2018
Listen to an interview with the author.
“A riveting blend of true crime, historical investigation, and literary analysis, Sarah Weinman adds another dimension to this already complicated context.” — Buzzfeed
NONFICTON 💖
WE NEED TO TALK
by Celeste Headlee
Harper Wave | Sept. 18, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
”Headlee’s treatise on creating space for valuable mutual reciprocity is one that should become a handbook in any school, business …” — Buzzfeed
NOVEL 💖
THE GOLDEN STATE
By Lydia Kiesling
MCD | Sept. 4, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
”The novel beautifully depicts the golden light of California, the smell of the fescue grasses, the thinness of the air, and the way the [characters] often feel overwhelmed by the scale of the spaces.” — New Yorker
NOVEL
CRUDO
By Olivia Laing
W.W. Norton & Co. | Sept. 11, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
“Crudo could turn out to be a novel that we pick up years from now to remind ourselves how these times felt.” — New Yorker
NONFICTON 📚💖
THE ART OF LOGIC
by Eugenia Cheng
Basic Books | Sept. 11, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
"The emotional appeal to find common ground is original and pragmatic, particularly in these divisive times." ―Publishers Weekly
MEMOIR 💖
HEARTLAND
By Sarah Smarsh
Scribner | Sept. 18, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
This book is so much more than even the best sociology. It is poetry—of the wind and snow, the two-lane roads running through the wheat, the summer nights…” — Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
NONFICTON 📚💖
NINTH STREET WOMEN
by Mary Gabriel
Little, Brown and Co.| Sept. 25, 2018
Read an excerpt here.
Gabriel delivers a sweeping history of abstract expressionism and an affectionate tribute to the underappreciated women of America's avant-garde." ―Publishers Weekly
Caveat 1: I do my best to make this list as complete as possible, but I may miss a few. Hit me up if you know someone who should be included. Caveat 2: I don't feature self-published authors. Caveat 3: I don’t keep a list for poetry or genre (romance, horror, etc.). It’s not because they aren’t worthy. They are. I just don’t prefer them. Caveat 4: If you see 📚, it means I was provided an advanced review copy of the book free of charge or promise of coverage. Caveat 5: Support your local bookseller!